Mix preparation & upstream

1. Ingredient weigh station & silo(s) (sugar, stabiliser/emulsifier, milk powder) — silos & bag dump
2. Raw milk storage tank (SS304, chilled) — 5,000–10,000 L buffer (1–2 tanks)
3. Mixing / Batch kettle with agitator ( jacketed SS tank )— 2,000–3,000 L capacity (1–2)
4. Liquid dosing pumps & valves for fats, syrups, colours, flavours (multiple, hygienic)
5. High-shear inline blender/colloid mill (optional) for dissolving powders fully.

Heat treatment & homogenization

6. HTST pasteurizer (continuous plate heat exchanger + holding tube) — sized for ~1,500 L/hr to 2,000 L/hr (one line). Essential for food safety and standard in industrial lines.
7. Homogenizer (high-pressure, 2-stage typical) — capacity matching HTST (1,250–1,500 L/hr). Improves fat globule size, texture and stability.

Cooling & ageing

8. Plate heat exchanger or scraped-surface cooler for rapid cooling to 4–5 °C (post-homogeniser)
9. Ageing tanks (chilled, with slow agitator) — 2–4 tanks of 2,000–5,000 L each (to provide flexible holding and multiple recipes). Ageing commonly 4–8 hours.

Freezing & inclusions

10. Continuous freezer (industrial continuous ice-cream freezer) — capacity ~1,200–1,500 L/hr (main production equipment that determines hourly throughput). Controls overrun and texture.
11. Inclusion pumps / ribbon dosing system / ripple pump — for fruit pieces, chocolate chips, ripples. Sanitary positive-displacement pump(s).
12. Batch freezer(s) / churns (for small-batch flavours or artisan SKUs) — optional, 100–500 L units (1–2).

Filling, depositing & forming

13. Automatic depositor / filler (tub/cup/bar/ stick line) — multiple heads depending on SKU (cup filler, cone depositor, stick bar depositor). For high throughput you will need PLC-controlled multi-head fillers.
14. Roller / extrusion head (for novelties / bars) and moulding machines for sticks and bars.
15. Cone making / dispensing equipment (if producing cones).

Hardening & freezing tunnel

16. Hardening tunnel / blast freezer / spiral freezer — capable of taking product from approx. −5 °C to −25 to −30 °C for final set. Size to match output; spiral or tunnel depending on footprint. Harden to −18 °C or below for storage.

Packaging & secondary

17. Primary & secondary packaging machines — carton erector, cup sealing, flow-wrap or thermoform-fill-seal for bars, labelling machine.
18. Automatic checkweigher & metal detector for QA.
19. Case packer & palletizer — semi-automatic or automatic.

Utilities, support & CIP

20. Refrigeration system (central ammonia or HFC system with compressors, condensers, receivers) — sized in TR to meet continuous freezer + hardening + cold rooms load. (See utilities section below.) Scribd
21. Brine / glycol chilling unit (if using brine cooling for hardening tunnel) — chillers and circulation pumps.
22. CIP (Clean-in-Place) system — tanks, pumps, valves, heat recovery; sized to clean mix tanks, HTST, pipes and continuous freezer lines. snowballmachinery.com
23. Steam boiler (or thermal oil) — if using steam for indirect heating or sterilization (optional if HTST electric/steam). Capacity per process heat load. ResearchGate
24. Compressed air system (dry, oil-free) — for actuators, valves, pneumatic equipment.
25. Industrial water treatment — RO plant for process water, potable water, softening for make-up water and boiler feed.
26. Cold storage rooms / blast freezer room — finished goods cold stores at −25 to −30 °C and a separate pre-freeze cold room (−5 to −10 °C).
27. Effluent treatment / waste handling — grease traps, ET system as per local regulations.
28. Laboratory & QC instruments — pH meter, refractometer (Brix), fat & SNF analysers, microbiology bench, texture analyser (optional), thermometer, hydrometers. FICSI

Plant ancillaries & workshop

29. SS piping with tri-clamp fittings, valves and sight glasses (food grade)
30. Control system / PLC & HMI — central control for HTST, freezer, dosing and packaging lines.
31. Utility transformers, switchgear, UPS, power distribution
32. Material handling equipment — forklifts, trolleys, hygienic conveyors (belt or pneumatic), drums & containers.
33. Personnel areas & PPE, washrooms, GMP facilities — hygienic layout, staff lockers, QA lab, office.